Liverpool’s summer rebuild looks to be moving up another gear, with Dominik Szoboszlai the latest man in demand at Anfield.
Having already secured the signing of Alexis MacAllister earlier in the summer, Jürgen Klopp then went in search of signing number two and he may very well be heading towards his man. That ECHOhave confirmed, among others, that Liverpool will pay the full release clause for the 22-year-old Hungarian.
Reports emerged earlier this week that Liverpool were in talks with RB Leipzig over Szoboszlai, although a transfer still seemed a long way off at the time. However, things have moved quickly, and Athletics outlined how the Reds pushed ahead with a deal when the midfielder’s $77m release clause (£60m/€70m) was due to expire later today.
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But the Reds aren’t the only ones getting some business done, and Manchester United look to have finally broken down Chelsea’s resistance to Mason Mount.
Meanwhile, the spotlight is once again on Manchester City’s financial dealings as more details emerge about UEFA’s investigation into the club three years ago.
Here, Liverpool.com takes a scan around the other big sides in the Premier League and around Europe to take a look at the news in the other clubs.
Manchester United agree Mason Mount deal
Manchester United have agreed a deal with Chelsea to sign Mason Mount, with the total fee expected to be around $77m (£60m/€70m) including add-ons (which as per BBC Sport).
Mount will be United’s first new signing of the summer and will sign a five-year contract at Old Trafford, having previously been of interest to Liverpool.
The move, for the same price as Szoboszlai, comes after talks between United and Chelsea took place earlier this week following three unsuccessful bids from Erik ten Hag’s side.
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Liverpool.com says: Given the problems United have had in trying to get a deal for Mount over the line, it’s easy to see why Liverpool abandoned their pursuit of the Chelsea midfielder, especially now that Szoboszlai looks like he could be on his way to Anfield with much less fuss.
Given that the fees involved for both players are also the same, it has to be said that Liverpool got the better deal, especially as Mount only had a year left on his contract at Stamford Bridge. Although United secured Champions League football ahead of the Reds, Liverpool still outshine them in the transfer market.
Man City ‘disguised’ two payments
UEFA concluded that Manchester City hid two $19m (£15m/€18m) payments from a broker as sponsorship income during its investigation into the club (via Sky Sports).
A report by the Judging Committee of UEFA’s Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) has been obtained by the makers of a YouTube film released on Thursday, as well as seen by The times.
The Times reports that the committee concluded: “Arrangements were made under which payments were made or caused to be made by ADUG (Abu Dhabi United Group, an equity fund controlled by City owner Sheikh Mansour) but attributed to Etisalat’s sponsorship obligations. to conceal the true purpose of equity financing and these arrangements were completed by payments made by Jaber Mohamed totaling £30m.
“The club’s management were well aware that the payments totaling £30 million from Jaber Mohamed were made as equity financing, not as payments to the sponsor due to genuine sponsorship obligations.”
Liverpool.com says: City are once again firmly in the spotlight over their financial dealings, with the club facing 115 charges for alleged breaches of Premier League financial rules. Although CAS overturned the two-year suspension handed to City by UEFA in 2020, it is important to remember that it ruled that some of the charges should not have been dealt with as they had passed the five-year deadline. It will be interesting to see how the Premier League handles things this time around.